Aussie Pleads Guilty in Guantanamo Show Trial -- A brief military tribunal convened in Guantanamo, Cuba on Monday night. At that time, Australian David M. Hicks pleaded guilty to one charge of material support for terrorism. That makes him the first inmate there to accept criminal responsibility for aiding terrorism in the five years the place has been used as a dumping ground for “illegal enemy combatants.” Maybe the fact that the presiding judge ruled two of his lawyers were not qualified to represent him and were removed from the case had something to do with it. Maybe, he just wants to go home.

UK and Iran in Discrete Talks about Detained Sailors -- Fifteen British sailors and marines from HMS Cornwall were detained, or kidnapped if one prefers, by Iranian forces in Iraq-Namese, or Iranian, waters on Friday. The Iranians have done this before, for example in 2004. That time, eight British personnel were released after three days. This time around, the UN is pressing Iran on its nuclear program rather hard, and there is less incentive for Iran to release their prisoners. Nonetheless, they are talking to the British government “discretely” to resolve the matter.

Vonage Reeling from Patent Infringement Decision -- Last Friday, a federal court judge held that Voice-over-internet-Protocol phone company Vonage had violated Verizon Communications’ patents. Despite holding off on signing an injunction against Vonage for two weeks, and despite the appeals process that will allow Vonage to continue providing phone service, the stock has plummeted. It’s a classic case investors avoiding uncertainty, especially uncertainty that could force a company to start paying a competitor.

Two Schoolgirls Prove Ribena’s Short on Vitamin C -- Ribena is a popular soft drink in the British Commonwealth made from black currants. Because the Second World War made it tougher than usual to get oranges and such in Britain, and because Vitamin C-laden black currants grow readily there, the War Government encouraged their cultivation and consumption. From there, it spread to wherever the Union Jack flew. GlaxoSmithKline, which makes Ribena, has been undone by two New Zealand schoolgirls who proved that Ribena doesn’t have as much Vitamin C as GSK claims.